St. Petersburg, Fla. — Tropicana Field hosted its first MLB game since 2024 on April 6, when the Rays faced the Cubs in the ballpark’s first game after renovations were completed. First pitch was set for 4:10 p.m. local time, with gates opening at 2:10 p.m. and fans asked to be in their seats by 3:30 p.m. for pregame ceremonies.
The return mattered because it brought baseball back to a stadium that had been out of regular MLB use while work was completed inside. For the Rays, the occasion also came with Shane McClanahan scheduled to make his second start of the year, a follow-up to his first big league mound appearance since 2023 last week. Jameson Taillon was set to start for the Cubs after his last outing, a 4 2/3-scoreless-frame performance in which he still allowed plenty of traffic on the basepaths.
McClanahan’s return has been one of the team’s most closely watched developments, and this game put him back in the center of a home crowd on a day built as much around the building as the matchup. The Rays entered with one more layer of interest than a routine April game, because the first official night back in the renovated park was also a check on how quickly the club could settle in after the long pause.
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There was other baseball news around the league, including Mike Trout being day-to-day after being hit on the hand by a pitch and a separate Rangers-Mariners matchup featuring Logan Gilbert and Jacob deGrom, but neither changed the significance of what was happening in St. Petersburg. The Rays were back at Tropicana Field, the doors were opening, and the season at home was starting over in front of their own fans.
